The Client

The Client is written with a third person omniscient point of view, where the narrator reveals the inner thoughts of all the characters and is able to seamlessly jump between different locations, even within one chapter. What significance does Grisham’s use of point of view have in the novel? Does it create for a more immersive reading experience, or would the novel have benefited from a more focused, first-person narration?

What do you think of Grisham’s choice to have his protagonist be a child? What role does Mark’s age play in the author’s development of his themes and social commentary? What elements of the book might have been strengthened or weakened if Mark were swapped with an adult protagonist?

What can be said about how Reggie was written in terms of female representation? What were the strengths and weaknesses in Grisham’s characterization of Reggie?

What is the significance behind Grisham’s choice to have one of his antagonists be a US Attorney? What are the broader implications of having a government prosecutor—whose sole job is to enact justice—inhabit an antagonistic role?

Judge Harry Roosevelt is one of the most well-intentioned characters in the novel, and he takes his duty as a Juvenile Court judge very seriously. He makes it clear that he only has Mark’s best interests in mind. As you read, did you agree with Judge Roosevelt’s decision to put Mark in the juvenile detention center? Is it unethical to lock an innocent child up, even if it is for his protection?

Mark is a character with a very strict sense of morality. Do you believe it was right for Mark to take the Fifth Amendment on the stand, even though he has a legal duty to reveal the information? If you were in Mark’s shoes, would you have revealed the location of Senator Boyette’s body? Why or why not?

Foltrigg often revels in the power he has as a US Attorney and enjoys flexing his privilege to corner Reggie and Mark in difficult positions throughout the novel. What is Grisham suggesting about the relationship between the individual and the American government with the character of Foltrigg? Further, what is the symbolic significance in the fact that Mark and Reggie outsmart Foltrigg by the novel’s end?

Barry Muldanno’s character arc is left unresolved, and the subplot involving his court case and conviction is not concluded by the end of the novel. Consider Grisham’s themes on justice and political critique of the American criminal system. Do you believe Barry Muldanno will be convicted after the novel’s end? Why or why not?